Taking My Own Advice

1. I advise myself to compose a blog a week, even if it's only 150 characters. March was the last time I posted. That's just silly, I've had so many important thoughts vaporize into the ether since then... ahem.


2. I advise myself to get a massage at least quarterly. Not enough but it's better than annually. I had a 1/2 hour neck massage today and I think my head is going to explode from all the extra circulation. Hence, advisory #1, above.


3. I'm already relentless about taking this bit of advice, but it bears repeating. Exercise regularly. You brush your teeth regularly, you bathe regularly, maybe you even floss regularly. See that sign at the dentist's office that says, "No, you don't have to floss your teeth. Just the ones you want to keep." Follow me on this, you don't have to exercise your muscles, joints, organs, systems. Just the ones you want to keep. :-)


4. I advise myself to send out more birthday greetings. I have the technology.


5. I advise myself to ask for what I want, offer what I want, and smile while asking and offering. Vague, I know, but think of all the mundane or magnificent personal and professional ways this can be put into practice. For instance, that once-a-month-at-the-most hamburger I find I need to have really, really, really needs to be brought to me cooked medium. Apparently, it is up to me to go the extra mile to make this happen, as the last 3 times I've ordered a burger medium it arrived raw/well-done-hockey-puck/hockey puck the sequel. Come on.


 This is a theme that I will return to, I can feel it. Can you feel it?


 Be Well!!

Ready for Change?

My client's name is Monica**.  She comes in with either her mom, her dad, or her caretaker every Monday and Wednesday, every week.  Her parents, David and Jill, are very caring and concerned, and they include their 41 year old daughter in nearly everything they do.  The wheelchair doesn't stop them from much of anything.


Monica uses a wheelchair.  Her disorder is progressive and degenerative, so over time it's become evident that everything from expressing herself to holding her posture upright is more difficult to manage.  Every muscle from her jaw to her ankles is fighting her.


Still, she comes to the fitness center and I guide her through a couple of sets of about 8 different exercises.  Some of them in a standing position, even.


Monica's eyes are sometimes distant, other times focused.  She has to work at holding her head up so you can see her smile.  It's always worth the effort.


In the middle of a set of chest exercises, while I was down at her eye level, I told her how pleased she should be with her earlier set of standing exercises.  Her alignment and balance were particularly good today, I told her.  She looked me straight in the eye and smiled while she responded, "That makes me very happy."


"Good, because it's good for your body and everything else, so I'm glad it makes you happy!"


Monica makes an extraordinary effort to keep moving.  We don't know how much longer she will be able to keep doing it.  But as long as she can, she will.


And if Monica can make an extraordinary effort, well, I know there are more than a few people reading this who have over twice Monica's ability and less than half her obstacles standing in the way of having a healthier, fitter way of life.


If you can hear this message, if you are ready to create positive physical, mental, and emotional change through movement, I wanted to share the inspiration named Monica with you.



** Names have been changed, but it's a true story.

Tasty Tips for 2013

"We're going to eat better this year!"


I hereby resolve to share ideas and specific strategies to help make that pledge a reality for 2013 and then some.


Numero Uno:  www.localfarmbag.com.  Produce fresh from the local/often organic farm, delivered to your doorstep, couldn't be more convenient, couldn't be a better value -- and the quality of the fruits and veggies is Tip-Top/Grade A/Super Duper Gold Star.  Friends, if you are anywhere near Savannah, GA, join up and enjoy the harvest.


Every meal should consist mostly of vegetables and fruits.  Two-thirds to 3/4 of your plate covered with colorful complex carbohydrates, and lean, quality protein to cover the rest.


Next Several:  Pay attention and regain some control of your eating.  The November/December issue of IDEA Food and Nutrition Tips offers these great research-based suggestions:

1. Place your meals, snacks, and drinks in smaller plates, bowls and glasses to help reduce how much you eat.
2. Eating breakfast can control your appetite all day.  (You know who you are... I know you can hear me...)
3. Watching TV while eating creates a distraction that causes you to eat more.  Tune out and go sit at the table.
4. The more you chew, the fewer calories you are likely to consume.  Good for your digestion, too.
5. Serving smaller sized portions on plates and putting the extra in the fridge right away tends to trim your intake. Cutting food into smaller pieces can also help you eat less.
6. Don't fall for "low-fat" food labels, they often replace the fat with extra sugar, making calorie savings an illusion.
7. Sleep deprivation often causes overeating. Sleep better, eat better.
8. Eat your calories. Studies show drinking your calories leads to more post meal hunger than when you eat solid food.

Do you see anything on the list, just one or two things, that you can pay extra attention to right away and strengthen your resolve to eat healthier?  Starting right now?


Yes, You Can.


Eat better, move better, live better.  Be Well, and happy New Year :-)

That's Why We Call it a Workout and Not an Easy-out

The title is one of my longest running jokes/barbs/snappy answers to the inevitable client plea, "This is hard!"

Training is supposed to be hard.

Is it supposed to make you vomit? No. I don't care what you saw on "The Biggest Loser," it truly is NOT okay to train so hard that you vomit. Even if you are morbidly obese. (Because it seems as though humiliating obese people on television is the fashionable custom.)

Is it supposed to cause sharp pain, numbness, dizziness, heat stress, or anaphylaxis? No.

Does the good personal trainer take into account your activity history (or lack thereof) when deciding how hard is appropriate to push your intensity level on any given day? Yes.

Will the good personal trainer help you adjust your intensity level, taking into account the body you brought into the studio with you on any given day, as it reflects your sleeping/eating/hydration/stress load/activity habits over the last 24 to 48 hours? Yes.

Can the good personal trainer read your mind? No.

Your expressions and reactions are quite readable to the experienced personal trainer, but you may be expert at minimizing your discomfort or masking pain. The good personal trainer will frequently ask you for feedback about how easy or challenging an exercise is, while watching for signs of failure of form.  Please, give candid feedback. 

You can coddle yourself (er, um, come on), you can cripple yourself (clearly not recommended), or you can challenge yourself (oh, yes, pick me! pick me!). 

Move more, move well, and move with deliberate intensity.  And over time, you'll move better. :-)

Touting Meal Time

Many personal trainers and fitness instructors have embraced the growing body of information that points away from isolated muscular conditioning, and toward integrated, total-body functional conditioning.

 

I would LOVE to see more personal trainers, fitness instructors, and "weight-management" counselors embracing the growing body of science that points away from isolated nutrient shakes and bars, and toward nature's optimally integrated, functional and simple REAL FOOD.

 

Sure, we humans have crapped up the oceans, the soil, the air, the water table, and the genetics of our food supply, but I'm still willing to bet big money that a supplement in the form of a pill, shake, or bar is NOWHERE NEAR as nutrient dense as a plate of fresh fish/meat, veggies, and rice/grains - and NOWHERE NEAR as effective at giving your digestive system (aka your second brain) a good workout from one end to the other :-)

 

I know first hand that there are people who cannot chew, cannot digest solid food, cannot tolerate enough food to absorb sufficient nutrients, and so on. If you are one of these people, and you know why this is the case, of course you have to sustain yourself with meal replacements. If you are one of these people and you don't know why...please find out. If you are NOT one of these people but you are sustaining yourself with meal replacements instead of meals, you are on your way to becoming one of these people.

 

Let me put it this way... did you notice a difference in quality between the replacement referees and the REAL refs? Same thing with meal replacements.... one pitfall after another. Please have a healthy meal, and a wonderful day.

The Night Before a Long Run

Tomorrow is a Saturday.  Every Saturday morning since the first of June, we coaches of CREW and our dear CREWmates have rolled up and at 'em to start our weekly long run at 6:00am.  We will continue this ritual (including Tuesday morning speedwork and Thursday morning tempo runs) until the Savannah Rock 'N' Roll marathon on November 3rd.

It really craps up our Friday night social lives.

But I digress.

In Janeland, Fridays are for cross training.  The farther we get into the training season, the harder it is to keep up with cross training.  A general sense of malaise sets in as the miles pile up and the fatigue in your legs complicates your ability to climb the stairs to your second floor apartment.  I know! It's only the second floor!  Pathetic.

But for some reason I cannot explain, I like running when I'm sore from the previous day's workout.  Racing when sore is even better. 

She's not normal, you say.  Never claimed to be, say I.

So here's a slice o' my life, today's home workout routine.  Routine is the wrong word for it, as this implies that I performed the same exercises earlier this week or this month.  I do different exercises all the time and I don't happen to keep records of my workout choices for myself the way I do for my clients. 

Always start with stickwork/myofacial release on thighs/calves/traps/low back.

TRX today!  I LOVE this thing.  Usually I combine TRX movements with stability ball and dumbbell exercises for my resistance training, but I beat myself up pretty well earlier this week with some combination of things like that.  Today it's a more streamlined approach. 

All TRX:

Jump squats 20x
Suspended lunge 15x
"I-T-Y" combo for upper back/shoulders 21x
Push up-chest flye-lat reachover for chest/shoulders 21x
Standing side facing twists 20x
Rear plank pull up wide grip 6x
Bicep curl 15x
Tricep extension 15x
Front plank suspended knee curl/side curl 20x
Supine hip bridge/leg curl 20x

One set.  Ordinarily I would do two sets, but it was getting late and I had to get dinner ready.  Now it's time to hit the hay.

I think I'll be sore tomorrow.  :-)

Be Well.

AnyWay

Jane Sez:  Since we're all almost settled into the whole back-to-school thing, I thought the time was right to share this post from one of my favorite coaches/trainers of all time, Mike Boyle.


LET ME MAKE THIS CLEAR:  MIKE BOYLE AND KENT KEITH ARE THE AUTHORS OF THE FOLLOWING CONTENT:

Mike Boyle
www.FunctionalStrengthCoach4.com
www.OnlineBodyByBoyle.com

Sorry to go all “philosophical” on you but, I think this is important.


In a recent StrengthCoach post related to youth sports and early
specialization (this time the specific topic was youth winter indoor
football) one of my readers and frequent contributors
Michelle Hart-Miller, a wonderful person and excellent coach,
sounded almost despondent in her response.

“In this society I’m beginning to question making any effort at all.”

My response was to post The Paradoxical Commandments, a series
of wonderful inspirational thoughts that have found there way around
the world. On some of my worst days dealing with any problem I try to
remember the concept of “Anyway”. The Paradoxical Commandments
were written in 1968 by Kent Keith and are contained in a book
called AnyWay.

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot
down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

I truly believe this is what keeps me coaching. One small victory
can offset numerous losses.

 


So sez Mike.  So say I.  Be Well.